Stamp out bullying!

Thank you donors

100% raised.

$1,000 Goal

Help ALSO bring Hudson Taylor to Sarasota

77% of all bullying victims are picked on due to sexual orientation, gender identity, or the perception of either. LGBT youth are up to five times more likely to attempt suicide than their straight counterparts. ALSO Out Youth is the only LGBT youth organization serving both Sarasota and Manatee Counties, providing advocacy, leadership, support, and outreach since 1992. Please support ALSO in bringing Hudson Taylor to Sarasota. Hudson, an outstanding athlete, is a committed LGBT advocate and founder of Athlete Ally. This resource encourages athletes, coaches, parents, fans, and other members of the sports community, to respect all individuals involved in sports, regardless of perceived or actual sexual orientation or gender identity. Hudson hopes to encourage more effective sports education programs and help put an end to anti-gay bullying in and out of sports. Please support ALSO's campaign to bring Hudson Taylor to our area high schools and colleges. His message of stamping out bullying would be a tremendous benefit to our community!

Share this:

Project run by

Donna E Hanley

Project Comments

Dr. Rich Swier Sat, Jun 25, 2011

Actually this is not bullying. It is peer pressure and is healthy. There are many bad behaviors such as smoking, under age drinking and drug abuse that are behaviors that cannot be condoned. Homosexuality falls into this category. It is simply bad behavior that youth see as such and rightly pressure their peers to stop it. In Sarasota County over 70% of all HIV/AIDS cases are due to male sex with males.
More concerning is the entire bullying campaign is a political ploy. This "safety" or bullying campaign was started by Kevin Jennings, a radical homosexual activist. To understand the genesis of this political movement please read Mr. Jennings' own words:
Framing the Issue in Massachusetts
by Kevin Jennings, founder of GLSEN
From a speech entitled "Winning the Culture War"
presented at the Human Rights Campaign Fund Leadership Conference
March 5, 1995
"If the Radical Right can succeed in portraying us as preying on children, we will lose. Their language -- "promoting homosexuality" is one example -- is laced with subtle and not-so- subtle innuendo that we are "after their kids." We must learn from the abortion struggle, where the clever claiming of the term "pro-life" allowed those who opposed abortion on demand to frame the issue to their advantage, to make sure that we do not allow ourselves to be painted into a corner before the debate even begins.
"In Massachusetts the effective reframing of this issue was the key to the success of the Governor's Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth. We immediately seized upon the opponent's calling card--safety--and explained how homophobia represents a threat to students' safety by creating a climate where violence, name-calling, health problems, and suicide are common. Titling our report 'Making Schools Safe for Gay and Lesbian Youth,' we automatically threw our opponents onto the defensive and stole their best line of attack. This framing short-circuited their arguments and left them back-pedaling from day one.
"Finding the effective frame for your community is the key to victory. It must be linked to universal values that everyone in the community has in common. In Massachusetts, no one could speak up against our frame and say, 'Why, yes, I do think students should kill themselves': this allowed us to set the terms for debate.
"In Massachusetts, we made creating an environment where youth could speak out our number one priority. We know that, confronted with real-life stories of youth who had suffered from homophobia, our opponents would have to attack people who had already been victimized once, which put them in a bully position from which it would be hard to emerge looking good. More importantly, we made sure these youth met with elected officials so that, the next time these officials had to vote on something, there would be a specific face and story attached to the issue. We wanted them to have an actual kid in mind when they had to cast their votes. We won the final vote in the Senate 33-7 as a result."

Mark Steinwachs Sat, Jun 25, 2011

I look forward to Hudson Taylor's coming to Sarasota to speak to students and athletes about bullying.

Greg Taylor Sat, Jun 25, 2011

Thank you for your comments Dr. Swier! It's people like you that inspire me to give to causes like this to wipe out ignorance and promote acceptance.

Pauline Parrish Mon, Jun 27, 2011

The comments of Rich Swier are testimonial enough as to why we need to bring Hudson Taylor and his message to Sarasota. I believe that we can work towards eliminating bullying and make this a safer community for our youth.

Lisa Rubinstein Mon, Jun 27, 2011

I am proud to contribute to this great cause and organization. Ignorance such as Dr. Swier's is a dangerous thing.

John McKay Wed, Jun 29, 2011

"There are many bad behaviors such as smoking, under age drinking and drug abuse that are behaviors that cannot be condoned. Homosexuality falls into this category." I'm sure we all remember in high school when the concerned jocks went around beating up kids who drank in order to lovingly remind them that such behaviors cannot be condoned.

A Special Thank You From

Tell others what we've accomplished!

Want to Volunteer your good? Check out:

Phase One Complete!! Thank you!!

ALSO was informed about this fantastic project last Thursday, June 23, when Veronica Brady came to visit the Center. It was posted on Friday, and fully funded by Monday, June 27! Gulf Coast Foundation is so cutting-edge with community building initiatives and they play a huge role in helping organizations like ALSO to grow and thrive. We are grateful for the generous support provided by those who donated to this project! Phase 1 is now complete! Thanks to our donors, we will move forward in bringing Hudson Taylor and his vital message to Sarasota!